Kemi Badenoch reveals her wedding first dance song

Kemi Badenoch said her wedding first dance song was Love Is All Around as she selected the Wet Wet Wet track on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.

The Conservative leader told the programme that she and her husband Hamish, whom she met on on the campaign trail, “really love” the song, first released by The Troggs in 1967, because of its romantic lyrics.

She said: “Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet is a ’90s song that I really love, and which my husband also really loved, and so we picked it for our wedding as our first dance.

“And I think it is very romantic, you know, it talks about, there’s no beginning, there’ll be no end to the love. You know, I love you, I always will.

“And that is what I would want to say to my husband, that you know, I love you, I always will.

“He’s an amazing man.”

Mrs Badenoch also chose two tracks from the musical Hamilton: The Story Of Tonight and Dear Theodosia.

The politician said The Story Of Tonight reminds her of the first time she stood for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2022.

She said she had a group of friends who had resigned and asked her to stand “because we were so frustrated that the politics wasn’t working”.

Mrs Badenoch said: “12 people threw their hat in the ring. I was the most junior, the newest MP and I came fourth, which was a brilliant result…

“And when it was over, apart from the relief, I looked around and I had this group of, you know, four friends who’d been with me.

“It was a special moment and because I do believe in freedom, and I do believe in taking risks, and you never know, things might go well, they might not go well. The Story Of Tonight is very evocative for me for 2022.”

On her choice of Dear Theodosia, she said in the musical Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr sing the track to their children, adding: “They’re talking about how they are in politics for them, which is how I feel.

“And they talk about all the wonderful things they’re going to do.

“And, of course, in reality, we know that things don’t end well for either of those children.

“They both die before their parents in terrible circumstances.

“And there is a tragedy in such a beautiful song, hearing these parents’ hopes and aspirations, and knowing what is to come.”

Mother-of-three Mrs Badenoch said she finds the song “so emotional” adding that is is “every parent’s nightmare” to lose a child.

She added: “It is a tragedy, but it’s also a song of hope and it’s a song that explains why many of us who go into politics, even though it is a crazy career, do what we do, and it is for our kids.”